


Cherry on Top

by yixingsus



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Ice Cream, Ice Cream Parlors, Kinda, M/M, Mutual Pining, Swearing, baekhyun hates ice cream, yixing loves it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 12:56:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12771546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yixingsus/pseuds/yixingsus
Summary: 3 weeks into ice cream and chill and Baekhyun was whipped (pun intended).





	Cherry on Top

**Author's Note:**

> Aaahhhh wow I can't believe it's finally done!! This was my first fest and it was wild and took me entirely too long to write my fics. Anyway @ whoever prompted this I'm sorry if this isn't what you were hoping for lmao. I would like to take a moment to thank my good friend for doing all of the hard work and all but writing the fic for me you know who you are thanks for being a queen! I hope yall enjoy this I tried my best

Baekhyun's face stretched into a strained smile when he saw his  _ favorite  _ pair of children. A little girl and her younger brother who came in nearly every evening, yelling and jumping around in a way that made Baekhyun want to suffocate himself in a full tub of cherry chocolate ice cream. As usual, the boy was whining at a pitch that was almost too high for the human ear to pick up.

 

“Hello! What can I get for you two?” Baekhyun asked fake-sweetly. 

 

The girl grinned and pointed at the strawberry lemonade flavor. “For both of us,” she said.

 

Baekhyun nodded, ice cream scoop in hand, and proceeded to serve the girl a large scoop of ice cream, while her brother got the smallest scoop of ice cream Baekhyun could possibly serve to him without getting in trouble. The boy pouted, mildly offended, but followed his sister to pay at the other end of the counter. 

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the next customer. He had a split second panic upon realizing exactly who that customer was. He distinctly remembered being distracted from his homework for the entire first week of school by this man, who would sit cross legged on a beanbag in the library, mouthing to himself whatever he was reading. Baekhyun felt personally offended by the soft looking lips of this individual on a weekly basis. He hoped the shock he felt didn’t show in his eyes as he quickly composed himself and put on his sweetest, most sincere smile.

 

“Hi! What can I get for you today?” 

 

“Ummm…” he chewed on his full bottom lip as he assessed the variety of flavors, finally lifting his head to make eye contact and saying, “what would you recommend?”

 

_ I'd recommend getting out of here and going to McDonald’s instead,  _ Baekhyun thought. Instead of voicing that negative opinion, Baekhyun pretended to contemplate his decision.

 

“I’d go for the signature Cherry on Top flavor, it's a unique cherry cola flavored ice cream that's always a hit! It's my favorite,” Baekhyun recited in a way he hoped sounded like his genuine opinion.

 

The man seemed to be sold as he nodded his head. “Perfect! I’ll have that.”

 

Baekhyun scooped that ice cream with more enthusiasm than ever before, a goofy grin on his face as he held the cone out to his customer. As the man walked over to the counter to pay, Baekhyun discreetly followed him with his eyes, loving the way the bright lights illuminated his skin so that he practically glowed. Baekhyun was  _ so  _ done for.

 

***

 

Baekhyun didn't see the handsome guy again until free scoop day- two days later. Free scoop day was Baekhyun’s very personal Hell. It was wildly busy and stressful and took a lot more staff than the average day. Luckily, this time there was redemption, that being Baekhyun’s golden chance to learn the man’s name. 

 

“Hi, can I get your name?” Baekhyun said, marker and cone in hand. He’d been writing so many names that his hand was cramping up, but he wouldn’t dare switch tasks yet. He had to stick it out. And as he quickly glanced up to see the customer, his favorite plump-lipped man was looking back at him- all of the hard work would now be worth it.

 

“Yixing,” he said, then spelled his name out as Baekhyun wrote it on the paper wrapped around the waffle cone.

 

“Alright, Yixing, your cone will be ready shortly, thanks for stopping by!” Baekhyun cheerfully delivered his well-rehearsed script and set the cone on the counter for his coworker to deal with. 

 

Although he wanted to stand and bask in Yixing’s glory for a few minutes, Baekhyun turned and continued getting customers’ names. However, his mind was now elsewhere. He’d only spoken to Yixing twice, but Baekhyun was already more whipped than the cream he put on hot fudge sundaes. He was admittedly looking forward to seeing him again, whenever that would be.

 

Turns out, it was quite sooner than Baekhyun had expected or hoped. Yixing showed up again the next day, twenty minutes before closing time. Baekhyun smiled a little too brightly, perhaps, for a person he’d only just met. But Yixing returned the smile and Baekhyun’s heart picked up pace for a brief moment.

 

“Hi! What would you like today?” Baekhyun said with a  _ tiny  _ bit of a flirty undertone (at least that’s what he told himself- in reality, it was probably an obvious attempt at a flirty undertone that likely made him sound entirely desperate).

 

“What’s your least favorite flavor?” Yixing asked, eyes skimming over the different tubs as if he were trying to make a guess.

 

_ I literally hate all 16 of these,  _ Baekhyun thought, but eventually decided he knew exactly which one was his least favorite. 

 

“Now, I’m not really supposed to say this, but the coffee flavor is  _ atrocious.  _ I took one bite of it once and it scarred me for life.” Baekhyun shuddered as he recalled one of his first days on the job, a day where his boss instructed all of the new staff members to taste-test each and every flavor of ice cream. He had never been the same after that.

 

“That’s what I’ll get, then,” Yixing beamed.

 

Baekhyun’s eyes went wide and he hesitantly picked up the ice cream scoop. “Are you… are you sure about that?”

 

“Positive.”

 

Baekhyun shrugged and went to scoop the ice cream, halting his breathing as he did so that he wouldn’t catch a whiff of the bitter abomination that was coffee flavored ice cream. Handing the cone to Yixing, Baekhyun said, “Have fun with that, and also we don’t do refunds here!”

 

Yixing just laughed, a melodious sound that Baekhyun wouldn't mind hearing every day for the rest of his life. It might’ve been a  _ little  _ dramatic, but… could you really blame him? Yixing was so perfect and Baekhyun truly could not help himself. He was lost in his thoughts and didn’t notice the person standing in front of him until he heard his name.

 

“Yes, what?” Baekhyun snapped out of it, stepping back when he realized Yixing was standing right there. “Did you need something?”

 

“Ummm, not exactly? I don’t want to bother you while you’re working or anything, but I figured since it’s kind of dead and almost time for you guys to close that it would be okay?”

 

“Sure, it’s all good. What’s up?” Baekhyun stomped down the part of him that was hoping for a phone number or a declaration of love or something along those lines. He refused to get his hopes up. (He was totally getting his hopes up.)

 

“So you were right about that ice cream. It’s kinda terrible. Does anyone like that stuff?”

 

“Literally all of my coworkers,” Baekhyun said as he adjusted his apron and hat.

 

“That’s… unbelievable,” Yixing shook his head, then continued, “so anyway, I know this is a little bit weird? But like… since your shift is almost over, would you want to hang out after you’re done for the day, or something?”

 

Baekhyun paused his movements abruptly and looked up at Yixing with wide eyes. “You’re… serious, right?”

 

“Ummm, yeah, unless you don’t want to, in which case I will see myself out immediately,” Yixing laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“Oh, no, I definitely want to, that would be… a good time,” Baekhyun cringed internally at his choice of words.

 

Then Yixing’s face relaxed into a soft smile that made Baekhyun melt faster than ice cream on a hot day, and Baekhyun forgot about how embarrassing he was for a few moments.

 

“My shift ends in like ten minutes, you can sit and wait in here if you want? I need to clean up before they’ll let me leave,” Baekhyun said, already grabbing as many ice cream scoops as he could with his two hands. He rushed from the counter to the kitchen, back and forth, bringing dishes to the kitchen to get washed and towels out to wipe down the counters. He finished up quicker than ever before, a little bit sweaty and tired, but enthusiastic as he wiped his palms on his apron. Baekhyun was just finishing hanging up his apron and tossing his paper hat when his boss came to tell him it was about time to lock up.

 

“You’re already done! That’s impressive. Would you mind closing up for me, since everything else is settled?” Jerry asked as he fished the keyring out of his pocket and held it out to Baekhyun.

 

“Sure, mind if I hang with my friend for a few before I go?”

 

“No problem, but don’t make a mess. See you tomorrow,” Jerry waved and was out the door faster than you could say ‘ice cream makes me wanna die’.

 

Baekhyun strode over to the table Yixing was at and sat himself right on top of it, crossing his legs and slapping on his most charming grin. He hoped he looked cute, single, and open to flirtation, but knew there was a large chance he really just looked silly. Baekhyun kicked at the negative thoughts and tried to be his usual confident self despite the nerves that always came with talking to someone as handsome as Yixing.

 

“So… what do ya wanna do? Are you hungry? I know this is an ice cream place, but I can probably whip something else up if you want,” Baekhyun offered.

 

“Honestly? I could eat more ice cream,” Yixing admitted, much to Baekhyun's dismay.

 

“How do you feel about banana splits?” Baekhyun asked, and thought he'd eat ice cream any day if it meant he could see the way Yixing's eyes lit up at even the mention of a banana split. Taking the man’s excitement as a definite ‘yes’, Baekhyun said, “I'm on it,” and got up.

 

He invited Yixing to follow him to the kitchen, where he began gathering the ingredients for their dessert, gliding around the room and plucking the things he needed from the cupboards and freezer.

 

“Peanuts?” Baekhyun asked, and when Yixing nodded he smiled sweetly. “So,” he said, “you like nuts.”

 

Yixing scoffed. “Shut the fuck up,” he said. 

 

Baekhyun just laughed and moved on, asking, “Mind turning on that radio over there?” 

 

Yixing happily complied, switching the radio on and startling when Baekhyun yelped.

 

“I love this song!” He exclaimed, then proceeded to belt out the classic Adele song with all of his heart while throwing together a rather sloppy banana split.

 

“Holy shit,” Yixing said once the song had finished, jaw practically hitting the floor, “I didn't know you could sing like that.”

 

“I mean, I guess I'm okay,” Baekhyun flushed a little under the attention, but had to admit that coming from Yixing, it was well appreciated.

 

“No, like you're  _ seriously  _ good,” Yixing looked almost in awe as he spoke and Baekhyun wasn't sure how to feel about the praise.

 

“The banana split is ready!” He broke the silence as soon as the whipped cream was on the ice cream and held a spoon out to Yixing.

 

 

***

“So, you've worked here for how long?” Yixing asked over their ice cream. It was a question Baekhyun hated, because the answer always made people assume things about him and his feelings for ice cream.

 

“Umm, around four years? Yeah,” Baekhyun shrugged and set his spoon on the table, unable to eat even one more bite of the obnoxiously sweet treat.

 

“So you must really like ice cream, right?” Yixing asked innocently around a mouthful of banana and chocolate syrup, just as Baekhyun had expected. 

 

_ No, in fact, I hate ice cream with every fiber of my being,  _ He thought bitterly.

 

“Something like that,” Baekhyun laughed on the outside, but on the inside? He was  _ suffering _ . He wanted out of the trap that was working at an ice cream parlor. Every day, the cold, sweet, creamy  _ nuisance  _ taunted him. He was tired.

 

“I've considered applying. Ice cream is my favorite food, I could eat it every day,” Yixing stated casually even as Baekhyun struggled to contain a rant about how much pain ice cream brought into his own life and the world in general. “Would you recommend the job?”

 

“No,” Baekhyun deadpanned, hoping Yixing could see the sincerity and pain in his eyes. He then remembered that he was supposed to like his job, and began laughing to cover up his mistake. “Ha, just kidding! It's a great job! I love it.”  _ A simple lie never hurt anybody,  _ Baekhyun told himself,  _ this is fine. I'm fine. _

 

***

 

It seemed like once Yixing had slipped into Baekhyun’s life, he was now everywhere. Baekhyun swore he saw Yixing at the library  _ every  _ time he went there after meeting him.

 

_ He didn’t used to be here so often!  _ Baekhyun thought when he saw Yixing sitting on a couch with a book in his lap. Baekhyun scurried to conceal himself behind a bookshelf. They may have sort of been friends at that point, but the fact of the matter was that Baekhyun was still a nervous wreck every time he caught sight of Yixing.

 

“Baekhyun?” Yixing made eye contact with Baekhyun through a gap in the books and Baekhyun froze. 

 

“What? I don’t know who that is,” He blurted out, turning on his heel and speed walking out of the library.  _ Screw my research paper,  _ he said to himself,  _ it’s not  _ actually  _ important. _

 

Baekhyun’s weak attempt to brush Yixing off came back to bite him in the butt not even a day later. It was nearly midnight the same evening and he decided his paper probably  _ was  _ important and that it was probably late enough that Yixing would not still be at the library. Oh, how wrong he was.

 

Yixing waved dramatically all the way from the other side of the room the  _ instant  _ he caught sight of Baek. Despite the inner voice telling him to run for his damn life, Baekhyun walked over to where Yixing now sat facing his laptop.

 

“Oh, hi! Great to see you, it’s been a while!” Baekhyun clapped Yixing on the back and sat himself down next to him.

 

“It’s been like five hours, but okay,” Yixing chuckled, and Baekhyun quickly realized he would not be getting out of this without the pain of embarrassment. He sighed.

 

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Baekhyun turned away and pulled out his own laptop, refusing to meet Yixing’s eyes. “So what are you doing here so late at night?”

 

Yixing hummed contemplatively for a moment, then, “Waiting for you to show up again.”

 

If Yixing’s intent was to shock Baekhyun, it certainly worked. Baek’s head snapped up and he gaped at Yixing’s laughing face.

 

“Calm down, it was a joke. I’m just cramming for my psych test tomorrow. You?”

 

Baekhyun let out a breath and soft laugh. “Finishing up my paper. And by finishing I mean starting? Yikes.”

 

“You know, if you hadn’t run away before, you could already-“

 

“Hush. I’ve been out and busy all day today. I didn’t even see a library today. Books? Didn’t hide behind any of those,” Baekhyun rambled on, knowing fully well he was only making things worse for himself. It was an endless cycle of self sabotage that Baekhyun really did not want to talk about.

 

“Whatever you say,” Yixing rolled his eyes and finally averted his attention to his own computer.

 

Minutes later, Baekhyun had about had it with his essay. It was going absolutely nowhere and he was ready to give up, which is exactly what he did.

 

“Yixing,” he said, closing his laptop, “let’s blow this joint.”

 

“And do what?” Yixing asked, but started packing up without waiting for a response. 

 

Baekhyun smiled to himself and stood, saying, “Let’s watch a movie.”

 

***

 

Two hours later saw Yixing and Baekhyun curled up on Baekhyun’s couch and all but sobbing their hearts out.

 

“Why did we watch that movie?” Baekhyun cried, throwing himself into Yixing’s arms and sniffling. They’d just finished  _ Train to Busan _ , and were regretting ever deciding to watch it in the first place. “I hate this.”

 

“It was a mistake,” Yixing muttered sadly, patting Baekhyun’s back comfortingly. “Next time we’ll watch something happier.”

 

_ There’s going to be a next time?  _ Baekhyun thought through the haze of heartbreak. Not even thinking about it, he blurted the words out loud. 

 

“There’s going to be a next time?”

 

“Well, yeah, I guess,” Yixing wiped his own eyes and sighed. “But only if we agree to never watch a movie that sad again.”

 

“It’s a deal!” Baekhyun yawned and stretched his arms out, then, “wanna just crash here? You can use my bed.”

 

***

 

It was all fun and games until Baekhyun, three weeks into flirting with Yixing, caught feelings. Not just a little bit, no, Baekhyun was wholly crushing on the man. It was a tragedy, in Baekhyun's mind. Three weeks? There was no way Yixing felt the same way. _Most_ people take their time falling for someone, but not Baekhyun, of course, because why would he ever be blessed with the ability to _not crush on every man that was nice to him_ _ever._

 

“Baekhyun?” The now familiar sound of Yixing's angelic voice broke Baekhyun out of his thoughts and he startled, the ice cream cone he held in his hand dropping to the floor with a sad  _ crack.  _

 

_ Why am I like this?  _ he thought with an internal sigh. 

 

“Oh my god, Baekhyun, you're a mess,” Yixing pointed out helpfully, as if Baekhyun didn't already know his life was in shreds.

 

“Um, pardon me, I'm just gonna run and lock myself in the freezer,” Baekhyun half-joked as the corners of his mouth tugged up in a pained smile. He glanced into the back room and for a moment, willed his body to teleport right into the freezer. It didn't happen.

 

“But then there won't be a hot guy to serve ice cream to me,” Yixing laughed and Baekhyun almost choked. The giggling and the way the fluorescent lights hit Yixing's face took Baekhyun's breath away and he had to take a second to compose himself before he could speak.

 

“Seriously? You can’t say that when a whole  _ Jerry  _ could be scooping your ice cream.”

 

Yixing frowned, “He’s not really my type, to be honest.”

 

_ Is he saying I’m his type?  _ Baekhyun thought.

 

“Are you saying I’m your type?” Baekhyun asked, before he could stop himself. He grimaced internally but also couldn't help that tiny glimmer of hope that sparked inside of him.

 

“Yeah, you're my type, have I not made that entirely obvious?” Yixing said casually,  something that  _ almost _ could have been a smirk on his face. 

 

Baekhyun was breathless. However, he had an image to keep up, so he slapped on his best charismatic grin and cooly said, “Me too, 

haha,” immediately cringing, his entire being filled with regret. He really forgot how to form sentences at the worst possible moments.  _ What have I done to deserve this living Hell?  _ He thought idly, spacing out for a moment in the waves of embarrassment.

 

“You're a sweetheart, Baek,” Yixing said.

 

“Shit, let me recover before you drop another bomb on me,” Baekhyun groaned, hands over his face. Yixing was grinning, only furthering Baekhyun’s embarrassment.

 

“Can I get a double scoop cone with cotton candy ice cream, please?” Yixing asked politely, very terribly attempting to conceal his laughter.

 

Baekhyun whipped his head up and mentally slapped himself to get back into employee mode.

 

“Of course!” He immediately got to scooping the ice cream, and Yixing had a cone in his hand in record time. Baekhyun may have hated ice cream with a fiery passion, but he was certainly good at his job. By the time Yixing left, Baekhyun was about ready to explode. He was extremely embarrassed and it seemed like Yixing was having a grand time teasing him. Baekhyun was having trouble figuring out if it was a fun teasing or if Yixing was actually trying to mess with him.

 

Later that night, when Baekhyun got to his apartment, his roommate was sprawled on the couch and looking more miserable than ever. Seulgi sat up when she heard Baekhyun come in the door.

 

“Baekhyun,” she cried, a huge frown on her face that broke Baekhyun’s heart before he even knew what the problem was.

 

“What’s up?” He sat next to her and rubbed her back, in hopes that he could be of some comfort to her.

 

She told Baekhyun about the problems she was having with her girlfriend, but eventually just groaned and shook her head. “I’m done talking about it,” She sighed and picked up a plastic bag that had been set on the ground. Seulgi pulled out a bottle of vodka and with eyes full of hope, said, “Let’s get fucked up.”

 

“I’m in,” Baekhyun exclaimed.

 

***

 

“What's up with this Yixing guy? Are you sure he doesn't like you?” Seulgi asked with a tight smile that was probably meant to look supportive.

 

“No, I swear he’s fucking with me, he’s probably waiting for the moment he can laugh in my face. And anyway, we've known each other for like three weeks, of course he doesn't like me. People don't just catch feelings like that,” Baekhyun shook his head.

 

“You-” Seulgi gaped, “you dumbass,  _ you  _ caught feelings! Who’s to say he didn't too?”

 

“Hi did  _ not- _ ” just then, Baekhyun's phone started ringing- an obnoxiously upbeat Chinese song. Baekhyun yelled and tossed his phone, accidentally hitting Seulgi with it. She must have caught on that it was Yixing, because when she looked down at the screen her face split in a huge grin.

 

“I'm gonna answer it,” she announced.

 

“Don't answer it, I swear to God if you answer it-”

 

“Hello? Hi, this is Baekhyun's roommate. No, he's right here! Let me hand him the phone,” she batted her eyelashes at Baekhyun and held his phone out, looking ready to combust with excitement even as Baekhyun’s body was practically shaking with nerves.

 

Grudgingly, he took it, mumbling out a “hello”.

 

“Baekhyun! Hey, sorry this is out of nowhere,” Yixing laughed uncomfortably and it almost sounded like he was choking. Baekhyun frowned to himself.

 

“What? What's up,” he said. He glared at Seulgi, who was bouncing and clasping her hands together next to him.

 

“Listen. I was gonna tell you tomorrow but I can't stop thinking about it so,” he took an audible deep breath and Baekhyun looked to Seulgi in a panic. She scooted over and got as close as she could to Baekhyun's phone so she could hear. Baekhyun didn't bother pushing her away. Yixing finally continued, “I… I mean, I can't stop thinking about  _ you.  _ Wait that sounded so bad. That was the worst. Okay listen, this is the thing. I like you, is what I'm trying to say.”

 

Seulgi reacted before Baekhyun, jumping up and shouting for joy, “I told you, bitch!”

 

“What,” Baekhyun said, heart pounding in his chest, “wait, what?” His brain was going a mile a minute trying to comprehend what had just happened. Just minutes ago, he was whining about how Yixing  _ totally didn’t like him _ , and now… this.

 

“I like you?” Yixing repeated, but it sounded more like a question this time. He chuckled nervously. Baekhyun stayed frozen in place.

 

Seulgi rolled her eyes and took the phone out of Baekhyun's unmoving hand, holding it to her face and saying, “Baekhyun would love to talk to you about this in person. Hey, you should come over. I’ll text you the address!” 

 

The moment she hung up the phone, Baekhyun's silence broke with a loud, “Oh my  _ fucking god _ .” He couldn’t believe  _ that  _ had just happened. He sobered up real fast and finally met Seulgi’s eyes. “Did he just confess?”

 

“Yeah, idiot! And he’ll be here soon, so pull it together. Also, you better kiss him, dumbass,” Seulgi kicked his shin and left the room in a hurry.

 

Baekhyun panicked and ran to the bathroom to fix his hair (and, if we're being honest here, to brush his teeth because  _ you never know _ ). He was just barely finished rinsing his mouth when there was a knock on the door, and both Baekhyun and his roommate nearly face planted in their rush to answer it.

 

“Hi! I'm Seulgi, Baekhyun's roommate,” Seulgi introduced herself with a firm handshake before exclaiming, “I'm going to Canada!” and leaving Baekhyun to panic on his own in front of Yixing. Baekhyun promised himself he'd fight her later.

 

“Uh, hi, come in,” Baekhyun said and opened the door wider to let Yixing in.

 

“Hi,” Yixing greeted, somewhat awkwardly. He stepped inside just enough to give Baekhyun room to shut the door, then stood quietly and watched Baek look around frantically for what could’ve been a full minute.

 

“So like,” Baekhyun began, hands shaking, “I guess… Well, I don't  _ guess,  _ but- okay. Okay, so, I like you,” he admitted, and the relief he felt was significant. He'd been wanting to say that for like… at least a week. Baekhyun was awful at holding in his feelings.

 

“Oh, thank God,” Yixing said, “That's really great. I mean, that's so good to hear. Wow.”

 

“Now what? Do you… I don’t know, want to eat something?” Baekhyun fidgeted anxiously.

 

“Got any ice cream?” Yixing laughed, like maybe he was joking, but Baekhyun still cringed.

 

“So here's the thing,” Baekhyun scratched the back of his neck and his palms started to sweat. He would've kept his secret for longer, but he figured since things were getting  _ pretty  _ serious, he should come out and say it. “I don't keep ice cream in my house. Because I  _ really  _ do not like ice cream.”

 

“Uh…” Yixing's face scrunched up in what appeared to be confusion, then settled into a serious expression that deeply concerned Baekhyun. “I'm not sure this will work out.”

 

Baekhyun's heart stopped for a moment before Yixing's face broke into a huge smile.

 

“Just kidding! While we’re being honest, I just want to say that your ice cream is mediocre and I only kept showing up to see you,” Yixing laughed, patting Baekhyun on the back, and Baekhyun had the thought that maybe he should feel offended, but instead he just laughed with Yixing until they were both nearly in tears.

 

“You scared the hell out of me, fuck you,” Baekhyun eventually managed to say.

 

“Maybe not on the first date? Or whatever you want to call this,” Yixing's face stretched into a smug grin and Baekhyun sighed.

 

“You're unbelievable.”

 

***

 

“Thanks for having me over!” Yixing said as he slipped into his jacket and shoes.

 

“Thanks for coming, I had a lot of fun,” Baekhyun bit his lip nervously. His heart wanted what it wanted but he was unsure whether or not it would go over well. “So… I'll see you later?” Baekhyun reached out and touched Yixing's arm, leaning just a tiny bit closer to him and putting on a hopeful smile.

 

“Yeah! Yeah, definitely,” Yixing nodded and his eyes flitted around for a moment.

 

“Yep,” Baekhyun said slowly. He reached for the doorknob but stopped before turning it.  _ It's now or never,  _ he challenged himself,  _ you gotta do it.  _ “Actually, I was kind of wondering. I mean it's okay if this isn't cool with you, like feel free to kick me if this is too much, but… can I kiss you?” He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Baekhyun was a a mess of anxiety and Yixing was silent for a second too long so he tried to back out, saying, “Haha, I'm just messing with you, I didn't really-”

 

“Calm down,” Yixing stopped Baek mid-ramble, “you can.”

 

Baekhyun’s stomach did a weird flippy floppy butterfly thing and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. Now that he had permission he wasn't sure what to do. It had been a hot minute since the last time he'd kissed somebody, and he didn't remember ever being quite this nervous beforehand. 

 

Baekhyun stepped closer and held eye contact with Yixing for what felt like centuries before either of them made a move. They went for it at the same time, sharing a couple of short kisses, and Baekhyun felt so many things in that moment that he wasn't sure what to do with himself. So he pulled Yixing into a hug and smiled until his face hurt, barely stopping himself from jumping for joy (and if he did so later, after Yixing left, who could really blame him?).

 

***

 

Yixing leaned against the counter and smiled at Baekhyun, who was tired and on edge after a run-in with a certain pair of siblings who loved to torture him.

 

“I sure do like a man in uniform,” he said. Baek’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Then, before Baekhyun could respond, “even if the cherries  _ do  _ kinda look like-”

 

“I've heard enough,” cutting him off, Baekhyun held up a hand. He  _ knew  _ what the cherry logo looked like, and he did not want to hear  _ one more  _ mention about the suggestive appearance of the animated cherries on his apron. 

 

“Bad day?”

 

“Bad  _ customers, _ ” Baekhyun groaned, reliving the moment the boy had  _ totally on purpose  _ dropped his cone right on the counter that Baekhyun had  _ just  _ cleaned. “Sit with me for my lunch break?”

 

“Of course,” eyes shining with happiness, Yixing instantaneously accepted Baekhyun’s invitation.

 

“So what’s going on with you? How are your classes?” Baekhyun asked around a mouthful of peanut butter and jelly. The two of them had found a nice spot on the floor of the kitchen, just out of sight of anyone in the store.

 

Yixing’s smile instantly dropped and he took a deep breath before speaking, “I… am  _ this  _ close to failing psych. That exam I took a couple weeks ago? Just got the results. I got a D.  _ How  _ did I manage this.”

 

“You got a D?” The corners of Baekhyun’s mouth twitched up in a mischievous smile.

 

“Yeah, I’ve never had a D in my life, I-  _ Baekhyun _ !” The moment he picked up on what Baekhyun was saying his face turned as red as a cherry and he slapped Baek on the arm.

 

“You’ve never had a D? I’ve certainly had my fair share,” Baekhyun’s earlier frustrations forgotten, he joked obnoxiously with Yixing.

 

“I can’t believe you!”

 

“What?! I’m a bad student, what can I say?” He snorted at his own humor, Yixing’s eye roll only making him laugh harder.

 

Between wheezes, Baek watched Yixing eventually fall into laughter with him, dimpled cheeks still stained pink. Baekhyun leaned into Yixing as they completely  _ lost  _ it, giggling into Yixing’s shoulder until he could barely breath. Looking up, it didn’t seem like Yixing fared much better. He hadn’t even said anything that funny, but Yixing’s red face and struggle for air through the laughter only urged Baekhyun on.

 

“To be honest,” Baekhyun began, barely holding it together, “I’ve gotten an unbelievable amount of D’s.”

 

Yixing practically  _ yelled _ and flicked Baekhyun on the side of the head. “You’re so gross, oh my god,” he managed, even though a wide smile was still spread across his face and he was still gasping for breath.

 

_ My boyfriend is so cute,  _ Baekhyun thought. Then, urgently,  _ Wait… Is he even my boyfriend? He’s not, is he? I never asked him so- _

 

As if reading Baekhyun’s mind, Yixing opened his mouth and said, “You’re my boyfriend.”

 

“Wha- I- Okay,” he said, thinking,  _ that was insanely easy.  _ “This is great.”

 

“We haven’t even done anything. We’re sitting on the floor talking about D’s, Baekhyun,” Yixing said, just as Jerry walked in from the front.

 

“Dear lord,” he said, and turned around as Baekhyun tried to explain himself.

 

“I hate you,” Baekhyun muttered and took another bite of his sandwich. Yixing just laughed.

 

***

 

Despite Baekhyun’s confession of his hate for ice cream, he still found himself with a bowl full of it in front of him at least once a week. He couldn't bring himself to bash the one thing that always brought a smile to Yixing's face. 

 

Everything changed one cold November day when Yixing invited Baekhyun to visit a new ice cream place. He was skeptical but agreed anyways because he was, well, whipped. 

 

Baekhyun, being the drama queen he was, bundled up in multiple layers, even adding a hat, gloves, and scarf. Yixing laughed when Baekhyun got into his car.

 

“It is  _ not  _ that cold,” he said.

 

“It's below 50 degrees, and you're taking me to get  _ frozen dessert _ . I need all the warmth I can get,” Baekhyun argued, but smiled when Yixing leaned over and kissed his cheek.

 

“Trust me when I say this place is  _ amazing.  _ It's the best ice cream I've ever had. No offense,” the last words Yixing added hastily as an afterthought and Baekhyun snorted. “You might want to take off all the layers because we'll be in the car for like, half an hour.”

 

“Ice cream is not worth a half hour trip. It is time for an intervention,” Baekhyun said jokingly as he complied and unwrapped his scarf, leaving his neck bare and cold, as he still hadn’t completely thawed from his walk to the car.

 

Yixing took the opportunity to give Baekhyun a kiss just beneath his jaw and another between his neck and shoulder. 

 

“Give me a warning next time!” He quacked, faking offense to Yixing’s affection. Baekhyun attempted to ignore the electricity that always seemed to shoot up his skin whenever Yixing touched him.

 

Yixing’s face went serious for a second as he said, “I’m about to kiss you right on the mouth.”

 

Blinking in surprise, Baekhyun said, “okay,” with barely a second to think before Yixing was leaning in. 

 

Baekhyun had kissed a lot of people in his lifetime, including Yixing, but the way Yixing was stroking his cheek gingerly and humming happily into the kiss had Baek feeling something he wasn’t sure he’d  _ ever  _ felt before. It was a warmth that started in his stomach and bloomed, filled him up until he thought he might actually burst with it. He was holding onto Yixing’s arms, heart pounding like he’d just run a mile.

 

When they finally parted to breathe, Baekhyun’s hands slid up to Yixing’s shoulders and he smiled. “I’m not cold anymore,” he stated casually. Yixing chuckled and gave Baekhyun one last kiss before sitting straight in his seat.

 

“Alright, let’s do this thing,” he said, “Buckle up.”

 

Baekhyun’s lips twitched and when Yixing glanced at him, he about lost his shit. “Is that,” he cackled, “what you say before you fuck someone?”

 

“Pull it together,” Yixing whacked Baekhyun in the arm and very poorly attempted to not turn red.

 

“What? Is it something else? Maybe ‘let’s go for a ride’?” Baekhyun was laughing way too hard and Yixing hated every moment of it, from the way he gripped the steering wheel and blankly checked his mirrors, ignoring Baekhyun entirely.

 

“Okay, I’m done,” taking a deep breath, Baekhyun finally calmed down. That is, until Yixing spoke.

 

“Usually,” he said matter-of-factly, “it’s something like ‘giddy up’.”

 

Baekhyun lost his mind and was  _ shrieking  _ with laughter, clapping his hands and everything. They spent the rest of the drive like that, cracking immature jokes and laughing their asses off until eventually Yixing announced their arrival.

 

“No sex jokes in public,” he ordered with a firm hand on Baek’s shoulder just before they walked into the shop, not unlike a father to his son. Baekhyun sighed and nodded his agreement, no matter how much he was sure he’d be tempted.

 

Stepping in, Baekhyun was immediately stunned by the setup. The lights were dim and warm, soft music played from the speakers, and they were greeted by a well dressed young woman holding a pair of menus. He was both impressed and confused at the expensive atmosphere.

 

Baekhyun had a lot of questions once they were seated.

 

“Where did you take me? What is this?” He questioned with eyebrows raised at Yixing.

 

“An ice cream place,” Yixing stated simply, as if he hadn’t just escorted Baekhyun into one of the fanciest looking buildings of his life.

 

“But this is- and the- how?” He stuttered and looked around, noticing more and more how  _ nice  _ everything was. “How much does this ice cream even cost?!”

 

“You don’t have to worry about that, I’m paying.” He had already opened his menu, scanning the items and glancing up at Baekhyun every so often. “Do you like coconut?” Yixing asked eventually. Baekhyun nodded his head and Yixing smiled, “Alright, I’ve got just the thing for you.”

 

He ordered for both of them, Baekhyun mostly staring behind the waitress towards the crystal bowl of ice cream someone else had just been served. With Baek’s feelings towards the self-proclaimed worst dessert in existence, he couldn’t fathom how they were serving it in such a way.

 

When their orders arrived, he couldn’t believe his eyes. It was quite possibly the most aesthetically pleasing dish he’d ever laid eyes on, a bowl that sparkled in the light, perfect scoops of ice cream, and a drizzle of syrup on top that gleamed like a beacon of hope. His jaw was hitting the floor.

 

“Looks good, right? I got you coconut vanilla with mango syrup, it should be delicious,” Yixing pushed the bowl closer to Baekhyun and nudged his shoulder. “Come on, try it!”

 

Baekhyun snapped out of it and picked up the shiny spoon, mostly nervous that Yixing would end up wasting who knows how much money on something he wouldn’t end up enjoying. But when the ice cream hit his tongue, Baek’s mind was blown. He wanted to cry; it was so delicious. He barely stopped himself from straight up  _ cheering _ , eyes wide when he looked at Yixing.

 

“Is it okay?” Yixing asked nervously.

 

“Oh my god,” Baekhyun said, “this is  _ wonderful,  _ Yixing!”

 

Yixing looked very proud of himself, and Baekhyun couldn’t blame him. After years of despising ice cream, letting it haunt his dreams and ruin his days, he could finally say he was enjoying it. It was something nobody could have even hoped for, not in their wildest dreams, and yet here they were. Yixing had done the impossible.

 

**End**


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